This was an amazing and very entertaining review! I'm late to the party, but I've just finished the first two books in the trilogy and I'm loving it. It's such a refreshing story and I really enjoy the dark humor. ;) I totally agree on the judgement part....It's like you're not allowed to enjoy a good story, because of critical subjects or a character because of his behaviour. Well...
Love the review man, I read good deal of grimdark books the last few years but dam the hype on this one def delivered lol, dark humor in this one is very underrated
It's funny how gut wrenching the experience of reading this book was. I had finished the flowery prose of Kingkiller Chronicles and dived into a very fast paced and violent narrative. It felt so hopeless and ambiguous at the time, reading it whilst depressed. It was how I got intrigued and obsessed with grimdark. I'm writing a Uni thesis on Grimdark subgenre and its evolution since the standard, traditional fantasy.
The first time I read this book it definitely tested me and I appreciated that. I also became an instant fan of the darker side of storytelling. I'd love to see your thesis. I enjoy other people's in depth takes
@@slowlyred2082 Try the Raven's Mark trilogy. One of my faves. It's got matchlocks and crazy monsters aplenty. It's grimdark with a lot of heart in it.
I finished the first book in the Book of the Ancestor trilogy a couple of weeks ago, and will be looking into both of Lawrence's other series once I've completed this one. 😊 Great review.
Picked this one up after your little birthday party of this book. I'm reading emperor of thorns atm and enjoying it (esp the characters, humour and worldbuiling)
In part there are narrative reasons for Jorg's luck. The rest is sheer willpower :D I can understand why people have problems with it. I did at first, too. But after a while I found it immensely entertaining how exactly he would get out of a situation and how potentially over the top that would be and then in reality it was even more awesome. He's kind of Chuck Norris' little brother.
I’m reading chapter 27 of this book right now. It seemed(so far) like Anthony burgess meets Maurice sendak. First impression. Some Alex came out early, but max didn’t occur to me until just now. Thanks for your work.
Just want to say that I support your view of having compassion towards this character being a broken man who comes from a very traumatic youth. At the same time, I can understand how some people can't separate the person from their actions, especially if those who judge have been traumatized by such actions. Sometimes people have to vilify the abuser in order to leave the relationship or see that this cannot be condoned; that's actually a necessary step sometimes. For those who are able, however, I am strongly in favor of offering a compassionate view and necessary treatment to those who are considered "broken" or abusive. I wish that wasn't such a taboo idea. I know we're talking about a fictional character here-and I haven't read the book-but this really spoke to my heart. I appreciate your reviews, as always!
You are absolutely right. Trauma is a very tricky thing and nobody gets to pick how it hurts them. People definitely have the right to be mad at Jorg but I do think it should also be taken into account that he is a victim of trauma himself.
Man, I had assumed you had already reviewed this because I know you're a huge broken empire fan, just as I am. This video was pleasant surprise. Fantastic breakdown. I'm not going to lie, it is a little frustrating that people write off the entire trilogy for something Jorg, a fictional character, mentions in the first chapter of the first book of the series, but at the same time I totally get it. This book is not for everyone. I almost feel like telling people to skip the first chapter or those two sentences and they'll be fine. lol...I won't do that, but I feel like I should.
Thanks brother 🙏 I was kinda patiently waiting to finally review the book. I did do a happy birthday video for it. But I knew i would need to have an actual review up. Jorg is definitely one of my favorite characters of all time. He's much more complex than the haters make him out to be. But also, everyone has the right to reject nasty behavior.
I really, really wanted to like this book. I liked the cover. I liked the description. I liked that it has good ratings. And then I started it. And I have to blame myself for not doing enough research about this book. The book started off really weird at first. So much so that I couldn't really get a good grasp on it. I did audio, and the guy narrating it was so off-putting for me, I had to listen in small blocks of time . . . 20 minutes here, 15 minutes there. Don't get me wrong. I respect that Mark Lawrence wrote something that got published and is well loved. I think that is awesome. That being said, this book was not for me. And for those who liked or really loved it, I am glad it worked for you. Now, I have to be honest; it is all bad; As I moved along in the story, I began to find parts of the story I liked, but not enough to get me to the 3 out of 5 level. I was not put off by the violence; I had no problem with it, however the feats attained by the main character at so young an age . . . yeah, I don't know. So ultimately I feel comfortable giving the story a 2 out of 5 . . . it was ok. I will not be continuing with the next two books in the series.
This is a great case for Broken Empire. As you said, I've heard all the complaints people have with this book. I own it, but haven't yet decided when I'll get around to reading it.
I certainly love and champion the series. Book 2 is where it really gets impressive with the writing. Prince of Thorns just captured a dark place in my heart. It's certainly not perfect. It has fast paced issues and can feel short for some. But when I first got my hands on it years ago, I kinda needed a story like a bullet to shoot me through to the other side.
Dude yes!!! I’m reading Emperor of Thorns and I’ve been waiting for this review of your reread. Hopefully we can get together and hop on Zoom to talk about the Broken Empire 🤙🏼
Awsome review! I knew i had read somewhere that Lawrence mentioned that Jorg was inspired a little bit by Alex from Clockwork Orange! Thought i dreamed it lol 😆👍
Thank you 🙏 One of my all time favorites for sure. Not for everyone, but for those that do pick it up, I only hope they enjoy it as much as I do.. lol, but I can understand if they dont.
Greetings from Denmark good sir. I just wanted to let you know that you have peaked my interrest like shit. I'm a murky mofo aswell, and my friends always say I have a sick and twisted mind. I'm starting reading this tonight.
Damn, the first time I read it I hated absolutely everything about it. 2-3 years later I tried again and it was another story entirely. By the time I finished King of Thorns I loved it. The first time, I was going in with the wrong expectations and so many things grated on me because of that. Things that mostly turned out to be positives for me on re-read. For example, the beautifully sparse and effective prose. Also Jorg is really a great character, but it's important to know that this is a first-person narrative and looking through little Jorgy's eyes is kind of hard and he views things differently. He doesn't put much value on people and judges them on the basis of their usefulness to him. That also is reflected in the characterization of the side characters. Jorg also doesn't care for the beauty and detail in the world, so that reflects on the worldbuilding. On my first read I interpreted all of these things as cons, but when I started embracing them and reading more between the lines, it really came together for me. Realizing that Mark Lawrence is a very deliberate author and trusting him more.
Absolutely, Lawrence puts thought into his work. I do feel like that work can easily be overlooked. I love Jorg and the fact he'll do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. He's a cheater which is soooo good, as well as you said he recognizes people for their value, just like the chess pieces he talks about. Such a complex character but he basically gets pegged as nothing more than a psycho.
@@slowlyred2082 You're absolutely right, him doing just whatever fits the purpose makes things so much more unpredictable. And I agree, he's very complex. King of Thorns really starts taking it to a deeper level and elaborate on his dark and tortured soul. Also man was the humor sometimes off the charts. So twisted and morbid and... I really appreciate how relentlessy he finds laughs in the darkest places.
@@slowlyred2082 It's also my favorite of the three 😁 I'm really excited to continue with Red Queen's War and Book of the Ancestor. Have only heard good things about them.
Absolutely, im not big on young protagonists either. But Jorg doesn't give you a child, he gives you a very grown up mind (broken but grown) Inside a youthful body.
Glad to see a positive review of one of my all-time favourites trilogies. Btw, I thought a psychopath was someone with no feelings and a sociopath was capable of feelings and forming attachments, but it takes a lot more and is a lot rarer? If those definitions hold, would Jorg not be the latter? To be clear, I don't think it would diminish him, just like I don't think it diminished early series TV Dexter. If anything, it's an interesting study in neurodiversity. Enjoyed your delivery btw. Have subbed 👍
Depends, if you don't mind following a guy that does horrible things. Start with broken empire. But if Jorg sounds awful to you. Start with Red Queens war, that might get you interested in the darker trilogy. So broken empire if you're ready to jump into the deep end. Red queens war if you want to work your way up to the deep end
@@slowlyred2082 I watched the stream with you, Mike and, Petrik which is how I found you. I’m just getting into Grim Dark so should I hold off since I already own first law or do what you did and read broken empire first?
If you've read first law and like it red queens war is similar in tone. They're both dark yet hilarious. Personally I always go for the darkest stuff. I'm not sure what you're willing to put up with as far as despicable behavior.. but if you don't mind, broken empire all the way. It is dark and disturbing at times but it also has a lot of dark gallows humor.
Yes I'm having a hard time reading but prince Jorge we can't judge him mother raped in front of him an killed younger brother too... at 10 he went crazy He's bad I don't like the prince 😔 but I can feel for him my dad was a child molester an I had so much anger till I was 16. I knocked a guys teeth out an took 300 dollars at 16 we do bad things out of anger based on life experiences no its not right but this is life. So I can read an sympathize for him it's hard but lessons to learn about myself an forgiveness.
I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. I agree, our experiences will shape our actions/reactions, at least to some degree. I know personally I had a lot of fear and resentment built up in me when I was young and I certainly didn't behave well. It's not an excuse, but it's a contributing factor
These reviews are just SO entertaining! My favorite Fantasy review channel!
Thank you so much 🙏
I have fun reading and running the channel but honestly other people enjoying it is what makes it all worth it.
This was an amazing and very entertaining review!
I'm late to the party, but I've just finished the first two books in the trilogy and I'm loving it. It's such a refreshing story and I really enjoy the dark humor. ;) I totally agree on the judgement part....It's like you're not allowed to enjoy a good story, because of critical subjects or a character because of his behaviour. Well...
Just loved your review. I am just starting to read these books, and so far I am impressed. Thanks!
Ah, back to where it all started! Great insights into the psychology of one of fantasy’s most fascinating characters. Excellent review, brother.
Thanks brother 🙏
I'm certainly having quite the time over here parading around the broken empire!
@@slowlyred2082 Glad to hear it! Looks like people are catching on to just how great your channel is!
It's definitely popping over here right now 😉
Can't thank you enough for the help 🙏
@@slowlyred2082 You deserve every bit of it - keep doing your thing, brother.
Finally have the whole trilogy. Can't wait to read it.
Best review I’ve seen. #Subscribed
Thank you 🙏
Love the review man, I read good deal of grimdark books the last few years but dam the hype on this one def delivered lol, dark humor in this one is very underrated
Very, I love the twisted black humorous in broken empire. Dark and dastardly 🖤
This is a fantastic recap. Always enjoy your Broken Empire comments! I’ll be looking for the next two come Dec and Jan!
Thank you,
I'm certainly having a blast running around the broken empire 🖤
It's funny how gut wrenching the experience of reading this book was. I had finished the flowery prose of Kingkiller Chronicles and dived into a very fast paced and violent narrative. It felt so hopeless and ambiguous at the time, reading it whilst depressed. It was how I got intrigued and obsessed with grimdark. I'm writing a Uni thesis on Grimdark subgenre and its evolution since the standard, traditional fantasy.
The first time I read this book it definitely tested me and I appreciated that. I also became an instant fan of the darker side of storytelling.
I'd love to see your thesis. I enjoy other people's in depth takes
@@slowlyred2082 Try the Raven's Mark trilogy. One of my faves. It's got matchlocks and crazy monsters aplenty. It's grimdark with a lot of heart in it.
Its definitely on my radar
I finished the first book in the Book of the Ancestor trilogy a couple of weeks ago, and will be looking into both of Lawrence's other series once I've completed this one. 😊 Great review.
Thank you 🙏
Picked this one up after your little birthday party of this book. I'm reading emperor of thorns atm and enjoying it (esp the characters, humour and worldbuiling)
Yes!!
King of thorns is amazing, and yes I agree the humor in these books is just 👌
In part there are narrative reasons for Jorg's luck. The rest is sheer willpower :D I can understand why people have problems with it. I did at first, too. But after a while I found it immensely entertaining how exactly he would get out of a situation and how potentially over the top that would be and then in reality it was even more awesome. He's kind of Chuck Norris' little brother.
Yeah, absolutely.
I'm tip toeing around some of this just to keep it spoiler free.
i don't mind unlikeable characters in books, as a matter of fact i like the psycologist aspect behind.
Ooooh. As do I 🖤
This is now #2 on my TBR.
🖤
I’m reading chapter 27 of this book right now. It seemed(so far) like Anthony burgess meets Maurice sendak. First impression. Some Alex came out early, but max didn’t occur to me until just now. Thanks for your work.
Just want to say that I support your view of having compassion towards this character being a broken man who comes from a very traumatic youth. At the same time, I can understand how some people can't separate the person from their actions, especially if those who judge have been traumatized by such actions. Sometimes people have to vilify the abuser in order to leave the relationship or see that this cannot be condoned; that's actually a necessary step sometimes. For those who are able, however, I am strongly in favor of offering a compassionate view and necessary treatment to those who are considered "broken" or abusive. I wish that wasn't such a taboo idea. I know we're talking about a fictional character here-and I haven't read the book-but this really spoke to my heart. I appreciate your reviews, as always!
You are absolutely right. Trauma is a very tricky thing and nobody gets to pick how it hurts them.
People definitely have the right to be mad at Jorg but I do think it should also be taken into account that he is a victim of trauma himself.
@@slowlyred2082 Well said! 👍🏼
Am also getting ready for are-read. This trilogy is amazing, and Mark Lawrence is fantastic!
Absolutely, I really got 5o enjoy the tiny details the 2nd time around!!
I read this when it came out. It impacted me. So much so that I have a small dagger tattoo written "red Jorg" ;)
Nice!!
I managed to get my hands on it back then as well. Changed the whole game for me. Never really read the same since.
Man, I had assumed you had already reviewed this because I know you're a huge broken empire fan, just as I am. This video was pleasant surprise. Fantastic breakdown. I'm not going to lie, it is a little frustrating that people write off the entire trilogy for something Jorg, a fictional character, mentions in the first chapter of the first book of the series, but at the same time I totally get it. This book is not for everyone. I almost feel like telling people to skip the first chapter or those two sentences and they'll be fine. lol...I won't do that, but I feel like I should.
Thanks brother 🙏
I was kinda patiently waiting to finally review the book. I did do a happy birthday video for it. But I knew i would need to have an actual review up.
Jorg is definitely one of my favorite characters of all time. He's much more complex than the haters make him out to be. But also, everyone has the right to reject nasty behavior.
@@slowlyred2082 Absolutely 💯
A fantasy Clockwork Orange? That sounds awesome. I'm glad that I have already got these novels on my kindle.
Definitely some of my favorites
I really, really wanted to like this book. I liked the cover. I liked the description. I liked that it has good ratings. And then I started it. And I have to blame myself for not doing enough research about this book. The book started off really weird at first. So much so that I couldn't really get a good grasp on it. I did audio, and the guy narrating it was so off-putting for me, I had to listen in small blocks of time . . . 20 minutes here, 15 minutes there. Don't get me wrong. I respect that Mark Lawrence wrote something that got published and is well loved. I think that is awesome. That being said, this book was not for me. And for those who liked or really loved it, I am glad it worked for you. Now, I have to be honest; it is all bad; As I moved along in the story, I began to find parts of the story I liked, but not enough to get me to the 3 out of 5 level. I was not put off by the violence; I had no problem with it, however the feats attained by the main character at so young an age . . . yeah, I don't know. So ultimately I feel comfortable giving the story a 2 out of 5 . . . it was ok. I will not be continuing with the next two books in the series.
This is a great case for Broken Empire. As you said, I've heard all the complaints people have with this book. I own it, but haven't yet decided when I'll get around to reading it.
I certainly love and champion the series. Book 2 is where it really gets impressive with the writing.
Prince of Thorns just captured a dark place in my heart. It's certainly not perfect. It has fast paced issues and can feel short for some. But when I first got my hands on it years ago, I kinda needed a story like a bullet to shoot me through to the other side.
Dude yes!!!
I’m reading Emperor of Thorns and I’ve been waiting for this review of your reread.
Hopefully we can get together and hop on Zoom to talk about the Broken Empire 🤙🏼
Bro, absolutely 💯
Maybe we can get Philip on board
@@slowlyred2082 that’d be awesome. I just purchased Road Brothers as well so I’m going to dive into that right after EoT
Nice 👌
I cannot wait for this!!!
Awsome review! I knew i had read somewhere that Lawrence mentioned that Jorg was inspired a little bit by Alex from Clockwork Orange! Thought i dreamed it lol 😆👍
I remember finding out after I had read it and thinking.. yep, that makes sense 🤔
@@slowlyred2082 😅
Thanks for the review. Gotta check this one out.
One of my personal favorites 🖤
Finally got around to reading this first book and I'm glad it didn't disappoint. Will be starting King of Thorns immediately
King of Thorns is Amazing 👌
Enjoy 😉
This book series sounds so good. I hope to get to it at some point. Thanks for the review. Happy Reading!!!
Thank you 🙏
One of my all time favorites for sure.
Not for everyone, but for those that do pick it up, I only hope they enjoy it as much as I do.. lol, but I can understand if they dont.
Greetings from Denmark good sir. I just wanted to let you know that you have peaked my interrest like shit. I'm a murky mofo aswell, and my friends always say I have a sick and twisted mind. I'm starting reading this tonight.
Yes!!
Let me know what you think. It's a personal favorite of mine.
Damn, the first time I read it I hated absolutely everything about it. 2-3 years later I tried again and it was another story entirely. By the time I finished King of Thorns I loved it. The first time, I was going in with the wrong expectations and so many things grated on me because of that. Things that mostly turned out to be positives for me on re-read. For example, the beautifully sparse and effective prose. Also Jorg is really a great character, but it's important to know that this is a first-person narrative and looking through little Jorgy's eyes is kind of hard and he views things differently. He doesn't put much value on people and judges them on the basis of their usefulness to him. That also is reflected in the characterization of the side characters. Jorg also doesn't care for the beauty and detail in the world, so that reflects on the worldbuilding. On my first read I interpreted all of these things as cons, but when I started embracing them and reading more between the lines, it really came together for me. Realizing that Mark Lawrence is a very deliberate author and trusting him more.
Absolutely, Lawrence puts thought into his work. I do feel like that work can easily be overlooked. I love Jorg and the fact he'll do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. He's a cheater which is soooo good, as well as you said he recognizes people for their value, just like the chess pieces he talks about.
Such a complex character but he basically gets pegged as nothing more than a psycho.
@@slowlyred2082 You're absolutely right, him doing just whatever fits the purpose makes things so much more unpredictable.
And I agree, he's very complex. King of Thorns really starts taking it to a deeper level and elaborate on his dark and tortured soul.
Also man was the humor sometimes off the charts. So twisted and morbid and... I really appreciate how relentlessy he finds laughs in the darkest places.
I'm so stoked about reading King of Thorns again. Prince held a special place for me but King is some of the best storytelling I've ever read.
@@slowlyred2082 It's also my favorite of the three 😁 I'm really excited to continue with Red Queen's War and Book of the Ancestor. Have only heard good things about them.
I finished prince of fools last month 👌
Gonna do king of thorns & Liars key back to back.
For me, I tend to dislike child characters. So Jorg being so non-childlike actually was an appeal for me haha
Absolutely, im not big on young protagonists either. But Jorg doesn't give you a child, he gives you a very grown up mind (broken but grown)
Inside a youthful body.
Glad to see a positive review of one of my all-time favourites trilogies.
Btw, I thought a psychopath was someone with no feelings and a sociopath was capable of feelings and forming attachments, but it takes a lot more and is a lot rarer?
If those definitions hold, would Jorg not be the latter? To be clear, I don't think it would diminish him, just like I don't think it diminished early series TV Dexter. If anything, it's an interesting study in neurodiversity.
Enjoyed your delivery btw. Have subbed 👍
I'm sold, its been on my shelf for too long without being read
Not for everyone, but definitely one of my all time favs. Also book 2 is probably one of the best written dark fantasies I've ever read ❤
Awesome review 🔥
Thanks brother 🙏
Hoping to start this one shortly!
A great trilogy. The broken empire really changed what I read. I went full blown dark and dastardly afterwards 🖤🖤🖤
@@slowlyred2082 Reading through the Joe Abercrombie series as well as WOT and Ender Saga. Pumped to add this to my reading list!
Great video
Thank you 🙏
I have heard a lot of good things about this one, I've been wanting to read it.
If nothing in my review sounds like it's too much to handle, then I say cut loose. Let your fantasy take a dark turn and hang on for the ride. 😉
@@slowlyred2082 definitely sounds like one I need to pick up
I’ve liked book of the ancestor. Should I go straight into broken empire or move onto the red queens war?
Depends, if you don't mind following a guy that does horrible things. Start with broken empire.
But if Jorg sounds awful to you. Start with Red Queens war, that might get you interested in the darker trilogy.
So broken empire if you're ready to jump into the deep end.
Red queens war if you want to work your way up to the deep end
@@slowlyred2082 I watched the stream with you, Mike and, Petrik which is how I found you. I’m just getting into Grim Dark so should I hold off since I already own first law or do what you did and read broken empire first?
If you've read first law and like it red queens war is similar in tone. They're both dark yet hilarious.
Personally I always go for the darkest stuff. I'm not sure what you're willing to put up with as far as despicable behavior.. but if you don't mind, broken empire all the way. It is dark and disturbing at times but it also has a lot of dark gallows humor.
@@slowlyred2082 thanks for the recommendation!!!!
No problem 😉
Prince of thorns? Never heard of it 🤣. Awesome recap and review. Are you going to reread the next ones too?
Yeah Buddy, the whole shabang.
King in December and Emperor in January.
Yes I'm having a hard time reading but prince Jorge we can't judge him mother raped in front of him an killed younger brother too... at 10 he went crazy He's bad I don't like the prince 😔 but I can feel for him my dad was a child molester an I had so much anger till I was 16. I knocked a guys teeth out an took 300 dollars at 16 we do bad things out of anger based on life experiences no its not right but this is life. So I can read an sympathize for him it's hard but lessons to learn about myself an forgiveness.
I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. I agree, our experiences will shape our actions/reactions, at least to some degree. I know personally I had a lot of fear and resentment built up in me when I was young and I certainly didn't behave well. It's not an excuse, but it's a contributing factor